Jaw operating structure for a power-operated wrench



July 21, 1964 s. TAMNY ETAL 3,141,352

JAW OPERATING STRUCTURE FOR A POWER-OPERATED WRENCH Filed May 12. 1960 6Sheets-Shea*I 1 July 21, A1964 s. TAMNY .E1-Al. 3,141,362

JAW QRRRATING STRUCTURE RoR A RowER-oRRRATEn WRENCH Filed May 12, 1960 6sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORS s/Man/ 22m/mf ZE/vns u wfsz RY BY VJuly 21,1964 s. TAMNY ETAL. 3,141,362

JAW OPERATING STRUCTURE FOR A POWER-OPERATED WRENCH Filed May l2. 1960 6Sheets-Sheet 3 July 21, 1964 s. TAMNY rs1-Al.l 3,141,362

JAW OPERATING STRUCTURE RoR A PowER-oRERATED WRENCH Filed May 12. 1960 ssheets-sheet 4 I I M f W 55 64 v o 47 /l l 44@ l 45 i 66 65 n 55 40 2 M#q i A v 5 7 6/ /00 s/Mo/v gi/QRS 25A/,4s n AVE/sez FEM A www July 21,1964 s. TAMNY ETAL 3,141,362

JAw OPERATING STRUCTURE FOR A PowER-oPERATTD WRENCH Filed May 12. 1960 6Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TORS S//l///V MA1/VV ma 7 July 21, 1964 s. TAMNYETAL 3,141,362

JAW OPERATING' STRUCTURE FoR A PowER-oPERATED WRENCH Filed May 12, 19606 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS .5V/WOA 74M/VV ZE/VAS i/. #VE/SEL UnitedStates Patent O 3,141,362 JAW OPERATING STRUCTURE FR A PWER-OPERATEDWRENQI-I Simon Iarnny and Zenas V. Weisel, Los Angeles, Calif.,assigner-s, by mesne assignments, to Byron .lackson inc., Long Beach,Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 12, 1960, Ser. No. 28,746 18Claims. (Cl. 81-5'7) This invention relates, in general, to oil welltools and, in particular, to a new and improved power tong forassembling or disassembling threaded sections such as sucker or pumprods used in pumping oil out of a well or threaded sections of pipingand the like.

In raising oil from a well to ground level, a submersible pump, normallylocated at or near the bottom of the well, is actuated from the groundlevel by means of a sucker or pump rod made up of a number of rodsections threaded together. Each rod section is threaded at its oppositeends and two adjacent rod sections are joined by a threaded coupling.For ease of assembly and disassembly the sucker rod sections are eachformed with ilat sides near each threaded end to define a substantiallysquare cross-sectional configuration, normally referred to as the squareof the rod section. Suitable manual or power operated tongs grip thesesquares in their jaw means and rotate one of the rod sections whileholding the other adjacent rod section stationary to thread or unthreadthe rod sections from the coupling means and from each other.

Often, when adjacent sections are so joined and it is desired todisassemble them, the flat portions of the squares are not in planaralignment. This consequently poses a problem particularly for poweractuated tongs. It is presently conventional to maneuver the power tonguntil both the rotatable jaws in the power tong and the backup jaws arein proper orientation with the misaligned squares so that they will bothgrip the squares of the rod. If backup jaws are part of a separate tongor wrench, this must also be maneuvered to properly grip the rod. It istherefore seen that in conventional operation two independentpositioning functions must be performed in order to grip both rodsquares.

It is, therefore, one principal object of this invention to provide anew and improved power actuated tong having rotatable jaws and means forautomatically adjusting the jaws so that they will forcibly grip the rodonly at the iiats to thus save the square of the rod from destruction,and to provide a tong with only one positioning operation.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a power tong havingjaws which will automatically adjust for gripping the flats of a suckerrod without necessitating the movement of the tong itself.

Still another deficiency in conventional power tongs is the fact thatthe rotatable power actuated jaws have not been able to accommodate rodsof different sizes.

Accordingly, still another principal object of this invention is toprovide an improved power tong means which overcomes the deficiencies ofthe conventional tongs by providing power actuated jaw means which willaccommodate rod squares of different sizes without requiringsubstitution of jaw means.

Still another feature of the present invention is the provision of ameans for indicating the amount of torque actually imposed upon a suckerrod joint by the power actuated jaw means during assembly of the suckerrod.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a power tong whichis extremely rigid, dependable in operation and simple to operate.

Other objectives and advantages of the invention will be hereinafterdescribed or will become apparent to those lilz Patented July 21, 1964ICC skilled in the art, and the novel features of the invention will bedefined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. l is a top plan view of a power actuated tong constructed inaccordance with the teachings of this invention and illustrating asucker rod joint with the upper section thereof disposed within itspower actuated jaws;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, to illustrateto advantage some of the working parts of the tong and showing thesucker rod disposed within the jaws of the liXed and rotatable powerjaws;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view, partially broken away, illustrating toadvantage the fixed or stationary back-up wrench with the lower squareof the rod joint gripped within its jaws and showing a portion of thetorque indicating means;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view, taken along line 4 4 of FIG.2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevational view taken along line 5 5 ofFIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, but with the rodjoint omitted to more clearly illustrate the power jaw mechanism;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional plan view, taken along line 6 6 of FIG.2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, but with the sucker rodomitted;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional plan view, taken along line 7 7 of FIG.2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, but with the sucker rodjoint removed;

FIG. 8 is an elevational sectional view, taken along line 8 8 of FIG. land looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional plan view, similar to the plan view ofFIG. 4, but showing the jaws in actual engagement with the square of thesucker rod, and

FIG. 10 is a top plan view illustrating the rotatable power jawmechanism in collapsed form ready for removal from the tong frame forreversal and/or replacement.

Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. "l, 2 and 3, itcan be seen that there is illustrated a power tong, indicated in itsentirety as 10, which comprises a hollow frame 11 formed of twofhalvessuitably fixed together by any suitable means such as bolts 12 and onwhich is mounted a hydraulic motor, indicated in its entirety as 13, forrotating and actuating a power jaw rod gripping means or subassembly,indicated in its entirety as 14, and incorporated in the frame V11.

As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 2, a sucker rod, indicated in itsentirety as 15, is disposed in the power jaw subassembly 14 for assemblyor disassembly. -A relatively fixed back-up wrench, indicated in itsentirety as 16, is operatively attached to the frame 11 for the purposeof holding the lower section 17 of the sucker rod 15, while the powerjaw subassembly 14 rotates the upper section 18 to assemble ordisassemble the sucker rod, as will be appreciated from a more detaileddescription hereinafter.

The entire tong may be conveniently and is normally suspendedhorizontally by a supporting hanger, indicated in its entirety as 19,which is, in turn, suspended by a cable (not shown) and the tong israised or lowered to suit the convenience of the operator. The frame 11is also provided with a pair of handles 20 to move and control themovement of the tong.

The iiuid motor 13 may be of any conventional type having an inlet 21and an outlet 22 for the How of driving fluid therethrough. A powertake-off gear 23 rotatable in either direction, is connected to thedrive shaft (not shown) of the motor 13 and forms part of a power trainindicated in its entirety as 24, for ultimately rotating the .5 jawgripping subassembly 14. This gear train comprises driving gear 23,large gear 25, small gear 26, large gear 27, a pinion 28 which in turndrives a pair of larger gears 30 and 31. Gears 3@ and 31 serve to rotatean outer partial ring gear or driving means 32, sometimes referred to asa carrier ring, for opening and closing and rotating the jaws of thepower jaw subassembly 14 previously mentioned. Outer partial carrierring or driving means 32 is fixed laterally but permitted to rotate bymeans of a plurality of rollers 33 fixed to the frame 11 as shown inFIG. 2 and the frame is also provided with suitable bearing plates suchas 34 and 35 to prevent wear.

Turning now in particular to FIGS, 4-8 illustrating the power jawsubassembly and outer partial ring gear in more detail, it can be seenthat the outer partial ring gear 32 meshing with the gears 30 and 31serves to position a cutaway or throat portion 36 in alignment with anopening or throat 37 in the frame 11 for the purpose of receiving thesucker rod in the position shown. Throat portion 36 and the throat 37are large enough to accommodate the square of the sucker rod regardlessof its position with respect to the throats. Rotation of the gears 30and 31 in one direction, such as counter-clockwise, will serve to rotatethe partial outer ring 32 so that the throat 36 is in a position such asshown in FIG. 9 where the rod is gripped and then rotated, as will nowbeexplained. The two gears 30 and 31 are used to bridge the gap in thegear teeth because of the throat 36, for full rotation of the ring gear.Y

Power jaw subassembly 14 comprises an inner partial driven ring 40having an opening or throat 41 for alignment with the throats 36 and 37in the outer partial ring and in the frame for the purpose of receivingthe sucker rod. Inner driven ring 4i) is provided with a substantiallycylindrical sidewall 42 of a width or height substantially equal to thewidth of the outer partial ring 32 and a reduced radially outwardlyextending flange or boss 43, the outer periphery 44 of which mates withthe inner periphery 45 of the partial outer ring gear 32 to rotatetherein to a limited extent and be guided thereby. The driven ring 40 isalso provided with a plurality of apertures 46, 47, 48 and 50 (FIG. 6).Apertures 46 and 50 respectively receive pins 51 and 52 (FIGS. 4 and 8)about which jaw means or gripping elements 53 and 54 pivot or cam inwardand outward for the purpose of gripping the rod section and to bedescribed in more detail hereinafter. The apertures 46 and 56 also serveto receive a pair of pins 55 and 56 (FIGS. 7 and 8) which removablyconnect the inner partial driven ring means 40 with a brake drum 57.

The brake drum 57, as more clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, is formedwith an opening 58 to accommodate the sucker rod and has a cylindricalouter periphery 60 in braking contact with a brake lining 61, which inturn is attached to a brake cover plate 62 by means of a pair of pins63. Brake cover 62 is in turn immovably attached to the frame 11, andserves to impede movement of the drum 57 and the inner partial drivenring 40 until the torque on the ring 46 is sufficient to overcome thefriction between the drum and the brake lining.

Turning again to FIGS. 4 and 5, and also now to FIG. 9, it can beseenthat the outer partial ring gear 32 is provided with a groove or slot 64opening radially inwardly and of a width less than the thickness of theboss 43 and is also provided with camming means in the form of a pair ofrollers 65 and 66 rotating about a pair of pins 67 and 68, respectively,which, in turn, attach the rollers 65 and 66 to the outer partial orcarrier ring 32 so that the camming means rotate therewith. Cammingmeans 65 and 66 are each received in, and cooperate with, semi-circularnotches 70 and 71 formed in the outer side of the gripping elements 53and 54. Upon rotation of the outer partial or carrier ring 32, that is,clockwise as shown in the drawing, camming means 65 and 66 will tend toleave or roll out of the notches 7) and 71 while the latter are beingheld against rotation with respect to outer ring 32 by the operation ofthe inner partial ring 40 and the brake drum 57 and brake band 61.Continued rotation of the outer partial ring 32 will thus serve to causecamming means 65 and 66 to urge the gripping elements 53 and 54 radiallyinwardly about pivot pins 51 and 52, i.e. clockwise. Helically woundsprings 72 and 73 disposed about pins 51 and 52 serve to urge thegripping elements radially inwardly, that is, clockwise, for a purposeto be described.

Each gripping element 53, 54 is provided with a notch or jaw 74 and 75,respectively, on its radially inner side to provide the jaws for thepower tong, and is formed right angular to conform to the flats of thesquares of the rod section disposed or to be disposed and grippedtherebetween. Obviously, the square of the particular rod section beinggripped will be held in a manner shown in FIG. 9 by these jaws forcontinued rotation to thread or unthread a rod section. Obviously also,reversal of the outer carrier ring 32, that is, counter-clockwise, willserve to move the camming means 65 and 66 into the notches 70 and 71releasing the force acting on the rod and overcoming the springs 72 and73 permitting the latter to be moved, that is, to a position shown inFIG. 4; the friction of the brake and barke drum serving to hold theinner partial ring 40 so that the camming means will roll into theirrespective notches. I aw projections 76 and 77 formed in the grippingelements at the extreme outer end of the notches 7i) and 71 preventcamming means 65 and 66 from rolling out of the notches 70, 71 andfunction on continued clock-wise rotation of outer ring 32 to swing jaws74 and 75 outward.

As previously mentioned, one of the important features of the presentinvention is the automatic adjustment of the power jaws so that theedges of sides of the notches 74 and 75 will not grip the squares of therod sections at the corners thereof thus damaging the rod. This featurewill now be described. V

In FIGS. 4 and 9 it can be seen that the notches 70 and 71 terminate atcorners 78 and 80 formed between the notches 76 and 71 and cam followersurfaces 81 and 82 on the outer sides of the gripping elements. Corners78 and 80 are so arranged and spaced from the sides of the notches 74and 75, that if the corners of the squares of the rod section, as forexample at 83 and 84, were to be engaged by these surfaces, the reactionforce of the corners 73 and Si) against the camming means 65 and 66would be directed, not radially inwardly, but tangentially so as toimpart rotational movement to the entire jaw gripping subassembly 14,overcoming the friction between the brake lining and the brake drumenough so that there is a slight movement of the entire subassemblyrelative to the rod section. Thus the .radial forces will only be slightso as not to damage the corners of the square. This slight movement willallow the surfaces of the jaws 74 and 75 to be correctly aligned ororiented with respect to the flats of the squares of the rod section, atwhich time the camming means 65 and 66 can ride up on to the camfollower surfaces 81 and 82 and cause the jaws to grip the rod squaretightly.

The cam follower surfaces 81 and 32 and the relationship with thecamming means 65 and 66 direct radial force towards the rod squareimparting power sufficient to forcibly grip the square in the mannerdesired. Thus the power jaw subassembly is automatically adjustable,regardless of the relative position of the square to the flat surfacesof the notches in the jaws when the sucker rod is placed in the powertong, and movement of the entire tong to accommodate this misalignmentof a jaw in a power tong,l is not necessary.

Also as previously mentioned, ,another fea-ture of this invention is thefact that the power jaw subassembly 14 is removableand reversible. Notonly will the gripping elements accommodate various sizes opposing notchsurfaces move inwardly in parallel but various ranges of square sizesmay be accommodated simply by the interchange or replacement of powerjaw subassemblies having different jaw sizes and/or different lengths ofmovement of the gripping elements. Also, any particular selectedsubassembly may be used to thread or unthread the rod section withoutturning over the entire power tong or by disassembly and transpositionof individual gripping elements. This feature is accomplished asfollows:

As previously explained, the carrier ring 32 may be rotated in eitherdirection by the reversible iluid motor 13. In FIGS. 4 and 9 rotation ofthe carrier clockwise will serve to urge the jaws 74 and 75 intogripping relationship with the square of the rod section therein, andcontinued movement will rotate the rod in a clockwise direction tothread the rod section into a rod coupling. When it is desired to removethe rod from the well and to separate the joined sections, a reverseoperation of the jaws is desirable. This is accomplished in theembodiment illustrated, as mentioned before, by the removal of the powerjaw subassembly 14 and reversing or transposing the same, that is,turning it upside down and replacing it in the carrier ring. Thisremoval is conveniently accomplished by reason of the fact thatcontinued clockwise rotational movement of the carrier ring 32 and thereaction of the camming means 65 and 66 on cam follower surfaces 81 and82 will serve to urge the gripping elements radially inwardly such as toa position shown in FIG. l0, at which position the outer peripheries ofthe gripping elements 53 and 54 are substantially totally within theouter periphery 44 of the inner partial ring 40. Means are provided inthe form of a notch 85 in the outer periphery of the inner partial ringto permit the inner partial ring to be removed from the carrier ringfree of one of the camming means 65 or 66 normally extending within theinner partial ring, as more clearly seen in FIGS. 5 and 10. Throat 36allows the other camming means 65 or 66 (depending upon the position ofthe outer carrier ring) to be removed free of interference. VMeans arealso provided in the form of pairs of notches 86, 87 inthe frame 11 andpairs of notches 83 (one shown in FIGS. 4 and 9) opposite throat 36 toallow clearance of the jaw projections 76 and 77 as will be apparent. Itis noted, however, that for purposes of indexing the subassembly withinthe frame, the frame is provided with pairs of indexing notches-90 and91 adjacent the throat 37 which are matched when the inner ring 40 is inthe position shown in FIG. l0 with an indexing projection or lug 92 onthe inner ring adjacent its throat 41 but extending radially outwardly,as shown more clearly in FIGS. 4, 6 and l0. The outer ring is alsoprovided with a pair of indexing notches 93 and 94, as more clearlyshown in FIG. 9 and located near its throat 36, to match the notches 90,91 in the frame and the indexing lug 92 when the inner and outer ringsare properly positioned such as in FIG. l0 for removal. In the positionshown in FIG. 10, the throat 36 of the outer ring is located at 90degrees to the right of the frame throat 37, or upwardly as shown inFIG. 10, and the throat 41 is aligned with the frame throat 37, and inthis position the indexing projection 92 and indexing notches 90 and 94will permit the entire subassembly to be removed.

To transpose and/or reverse the subassembly 14 for reverse operation,the outer ring 32 is rotated a half turn with its throat 90 degrees tothe left of the frame throat 37, and in this position its indexing notch93 will align with the frame indexing notch91 so that the projection 92may be free and clear. In this position the subassembly 14 will beproperly inserted in the outer ring without interference. In thistransposed position, of course, pins 55 and 56 would then be disposed inapertures 47 and 4S rather than in apertures 46 and 50 to attach thebrake drum 57 to the inner partial ring 4t). Otherwise the function ofthe pins 55 and 56 will be the same. In this reverse position, thefunction of the camming means 65 and 66 with respect to the notches 70and 71, jaw projections 76 and 77, corners 78, S0 and cam followersurfaces 81, 82, is identical, except that the rotation of the grippingelements 53 and 54 would then be counter-clockwise to impartcounter-clockwise rotation to the rod square.

Thus the power jaw subassembly 14 is, in effect, a cartridge which maybe removed and replaced as a unit, and it is also apparent that the sizeand disposition of the notches 74 and 75, as well as the relativedistance that the gripper elements travel in any individual subassembly,provide a means for accommodating ranges of sizes of squares. Also,while the jaws 74 and 75 are shown cut into the gripper elementsthemselves, these jaws could be formed by removable or replaceable diesor liners.

Thus a selected subassembly may be disposed or placed in the opening inthe carrier ring 32 by the proper positioning of the indexing notchesand indexing projection, and in this position the camming means 65 and66 and the jaw projections 76 and 77 will be properly disposed. Onceinserted, rotation of the carrier ring will serve to move the cammingmeans 65, 66 to overcome springs 72, 73 which urge the gripper elements53, 54 radially inwardly. Threats 36, 37 and 41 may be then aligned toreceive the sucker rod. It can also be seen from this description thatthe springs 72, 73 serve to hold the gripper elements in their inwardposition when the subassembly is removed from the tong.

As a safety feature for the power tong, safety means in the form of apair of gates and 96 are hingedly connected to the frame 11 adjacent itsthroat 37 by pairs of threaded pivot pins 97, 93 located on the upperand lower halves of the frame 11, as more clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3.These gates are spring-actuated towards a closed position by asemi-circular leaf spring 1130 attached to the gates, as at 101 and 162,to cammingly bias the gates closed. In operation, the sucker rod,manually forced through the throat 37 of frame 11 will automaticallyopen gates 95, 96 overcoming the resistance of spring 166; the inner andouter ends of the gates being formed with entrance and exit surfaces164, 104 to facilitate opening and closing of the gates. Once the rodsection is within the gates they will automatically close again by theoperation of the biasing spring 106. Stop means in the form ofprojections 165 and 106 (FIG. l) may be provided to limit the inwardmovement of the gates.

Turning now in particular to FIG. 3 where the relatively lixed back-upWrench 16 is shown in more detail, it can be seen that this wrenchcomprises a head with a jaw 111 to receive the square of lower section17 of a sucker rod and to irrnly hold the same against rotation. Thiswrench is also provided with a horizontally extending arm 112 which isapertured as at 113 to receive a horizontally extending locating pin114. This locating pin is fixed in the frame 11 by apertures 115, 116and 117 with lateral movement permitted. A leaf spring 118 is suitablyattached at one end to the frame 11 as by bolt means 126, while theother end engages and cooperates with a reduced'portion 121 of the pinto bias the pin to the left as shown in the drawings, that is, throughthe apertures 113, and 116. Movement of the pin by hand or otherwise tothe right by grasping the spring 118 suicient to remove the pin fromapertures 113 and 115 will serve to release the arm 112 from the frame.

Intermediate the ends of the wrench but near the head 11@ there isprovided a lateral projection 122 engageable by a holding spring 123suitably attached to the frame 11 as by bolt means 124. Spring 123serves to bias the wrench upwardly towards the frame to accommodate thesquare of a lower rod section, such as 17, when the rods are joined andit is desired to separate them, as can be more clearly seen in FIG. 2.The resiliency of the spring 123 will be overcome by the unthreading ofthe sections and the wrench will lower, but upon removal of the sectionsfrom the tong the spring will return the wrench to its higher position.

When the operator desires to join rod sections, the wrench is reversed.By grasping the spring 11S and moving the end operatively attached tothe locating pin 114 to the right, as shown in FIG. 3 and as previouslyexplained, the locating pin will be removed from the apertures 115 and113 to release the arm 112, whereupon the wrench may be transposed andpositioned by releasing the spring 118. In this position, the Wrench isfree to hang in a lower position so that the head 11@ may accommodatethe square of a lower section, such as 17. Complete downward movement ofthe wrench, pivotal about the pin 114 is prevented by the extreme end125 of the arm abutting the bottom of the frame. In actual practice, thewrench in its lowermost position is approximately that shown in thedotted lines in FIG. 2.

Also, as mentioned, another feature of this invention is a meansincorporated therein for measuring the torque actually imposed upon rodsections being joined. This is accomplished in the embodimentillustrated by the reaction of the jaw 111 and the arm 112 which impartsa force on a hydraulic piston 126 due to the torque imposed upon the arm112. rlfhe hydraulic piston 126 is engageable at the extreme end of arm112 as shown, and the aperture 113 is sufficiently large to accommodateslight relative movement of the arm. The piston 126 is disposed in abore 127 in the frame 11 and is in open communication with a hydraulicpressure gauge 12S (FIG. 2). Suitable sealing means, such as seals 139,131 are provided where necessary. As shown in FIG. 3, movement of thearm 112 to the left will increase the iiuid in piston chamber 132 whichwill be shown and calibrated in the gauge 123. This provides an accurateand convenient Vmeans of indicating the amount of torque irnposed whentwo rod sections are joined.

In operation to join -two rod sections together, the power tong isnormally suspended by the hanger 19 from a cable and the back-up wrench16 is in the lowermost'of its two positions to readily receive and gripthe square of a lower section, such as 17, and the throats of the frame11, the outer partial ring gear 32, and inner partial ring gear dil, arealigned by operation of the hydraulic motor to receive a rod section. Acoupling, such as 135, may be partially or completely threaded thereonor upon the uppermost of a rod section, such as 18. The upper sectionbeing normally suspended from a cableV (notV shown) is manually forcedpast the safety gates 95 and 96 which open and close in a manner abovedescribed into the throats of the power jaw subassernbly 14 in aposition such as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. In this position, a valvehandle, such as 136, shown pivotally disposed on the hanger 19 willoperate a valving mechanism (not shown) in the motor 13, operativelyconnected to this handle in any suitable manner, such as by links 137(PIG. 1), to cause rotation of the partial Vcarrier ring 32 through theoperation of the gear train 24. As heretofore explained, rotation ofcarrier ring 32 causes a closing of the jaws upon the upper square andfurther and continued rotation threads the two rod sections 17 and 1Stinto the coupling. The amount of torque imposed upon the rod sectionswill be registered in the torque gauge 128 by operation of the hydraulicpiston 126 and back-up wrench 16 as above described. It is to be notedthat the operation of the wrench jaws may be carried out Without regardto orientation of the jaws 74 and 75 with respect to the square of therod section. I

When the two rod sections are properly joinedtlhe operator will reversethe operation by reversing the movement of the `valve handle 136 and thevalving mechanism which will ultimately rotate the carrier ring gear 32in the opposite direction. Due to the operation of the brake drum andbrake lining and to the jaw projections '76, 77 the gripping elements 53and 54 will move radially outwardly as the camming means 65 and 66return .tto the notches 70 and 71, thus freeing the jaws 74 and 75 ofthe square of the upper rod. The carrier ring 32 is then positioned toagain align the throats for the reception of another rod section, all inone controlled operation.

When it is desired to remove the sucker rod from the Well and todisassemble the various sections of rod, the power tong may be operatedsubstantially as follows. The jaw gripping subassembly or cartridge 14is first collapsed in a manner previously described by rotation of thering gear in a direction to thread rod sections, but without a rodsection therein, so that the gripping elements will be substantiallycompletely disposed within the inner partial ring and the indexingnotches in the frame, and carrier ring aligned with the indexingprojection 92 of the inner partial ring are positioned so that the innerpartial ring may be removed, The subassernbly 14 is then transposed andreinserted upon rotation of the carrier ring a half turn. With thethroats all aligned, the cartridge or subassernbly is then made ready touncouple rod sections in a manner previously described. With the powertong horizontally suspended fro-m a cable it is brought towards thevertically disposed sucker rod at a lever so that the fixed back-upwrench 16, then in its uppermost position, will engage the square of alower section, such as 17. The tong is rotated bodily to line up jaw 111with the flats of the square of the lower rod section. Concurrently, theupper section will, of course, open the safety gates, enter the throatsof the carrier ring and power jaw subassembly then aligned with thethroat of the frame. As understood from the description above, whetheror not the squares of the upper and lower sections are aligned with oneanother is immaterial, since upon operation of the gripping elements byrotation of the ring 32, the gripping elements will automatically orientthemselves to grip the flats of the squares of the upper rod. Theautomatic adjustment and gripping of the squares is but part of acontinued rotation of the ring and the gripping subassembly to releaseor uncouple the two sections. A reversal of the ring 32 will first openthe jaws releasing the square of the upper rod section, and furtherrotation of the ring 32 will align the throats of the frame, outerpartial ring and inner partial ring to receive another rod section.

Obviously, in either operation, threading or unthreading of sections,the lower rod section is removed completely free of the tong byhorizontal movement of the tong.

While in the above description of the operation of this device mentionis made of the power tong being moved to and from the rod sections andthe same being suspended on the cable and the like, such description isintended to be illustrative of a typical operation and variations inthis operation would no doubt ensue depending upon the conditionsexisting in the field.

While the above description of the operation of the power tongcomprising this invention has been in connection with rod sectionshaving squares, obviously the tong could be used for any work elementshaving iiats of any description imposed thereon such as, for example,rod sections Vwith hexagonal sides, by the selection of proper notchesto mate therewith. Also, this power tong could be used to uncouple orcouple tubing of various sizes by the selection of appropriate notchesand/ or liners for the gripping elements.

While the specific details of the invention have been herein shown anddescribed, changes and alterationsV may be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit thereof as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a power tong for gripping an object formed with side faces, thecombination of, a rotatable power means formed with a central openingand having camming means rotatable therewith, driven means positioned insaid power means for relative rotation thereby and provided with anopening for receiving said object, gripping means movably connected tosaid driven means and formed with jaw surfaces for fitting said sidefaces, said gripping means further having means cooperable with saidcamming means so that upon rotation of said power means with respect tosaid driven means said jaw surfaces are moved into fitting engagementwith said side faces, and means for adjusting said jaw surfaces byminimizing forces for gripping said object and maximizing forces fororienting said jaw surfaces with said side faces so that said jawsurfaces are oriented with said side faces prior to maximum forceengagement `of said jaw surfaces with said side faces.

2. In a power tong for gripping an object formed with side faces, thecombination of, a rotatable power means formed with a central openingand having camming means rotatable therewith, driven means positioned insaid power means for relative rotation thereby and provided with anopening for receiving said object, gripping means movably connected tosaid driven means and formed with jaw surfaces for fitting said sidefaces, said gripping means further having means cooperable with saidcamming means so that upon rotation of said power means with respect tosaid driven means said jaw surfaces are moved into fitting engagementwith said side faces, and means for adjusting said jaw surfaces byminimizing forces for gripping said object and maximizing forces fororienting said jaw surfaces with said side faces so that said jawsurfaces are oriented with said side faces prior to maximum forceengagement of said jaw surfaces with said side faces comprising means onsaid gripping means for cooperating with said camming means whereby saidcamming means will partially rotate said driven means.

3. In a power tong for gripping an object formed with side faces, thecombination of, a rotatable power means formed with a central openingand having camming means rotatable therewith, driven means positioned insaid power means for relative rotation thereby and provided with anopening for receiving said object, gripping means movably connected toysaid driven means and formed with jaw surfaces for fitting said sidefaces, said gripping means further having cam follower surfacescooperable with said camming means so that upon rotation of said powermeans with respect to said driven means said jaw surfaces are movedradially inwardly into fitting engagement with said side faces, andmeans for adjusting said jaw surfaces by minimizing forces for grippingsaid object and maximizing forces for `orienting said jaw surfaces withsaid side faces so that said jaw surfaces are oriented with said sidefaces prior tot maximum force engagement of said jaw surfaces with saidside faces comprising means operative to cooperate with said cammingmeans to move said driven means prior to the operation of the camfollower surfaces.

4. In a power tong for gripping an object formed with side faces, thecombination of, a rotatable power means formed with a central openingand having camming means rotatable therewith, driven means positioned insaid power means for relative rotation thereby and provided with anopening for receiving said object, gripping means movably connected tosaid driven means and formed with jaw surfaces for fitting said sidefaces, said gripping means further having cam follower surfacescooperable with said camming means so that upon rotation of said powermeans with respect to said driven means said jaw surfaces are movedradially inwardly into fitting engagement with said side faces, meansfor adjusting said jaw surfaces by minimizing forces for gripping saidobject and maximizing forces for orienting said jaw surfaces with saidside faces so that said jaw surfaces are oriented with said side facesand prior to maximum force engagement of said jaw surfaces with saidside faces and fixed jaw means cooperating with said movable jaw meansfor holding one of Vtwo separable objects while the power means andgripping means rotate the other object.

5. In a power tong for gripping an object formed with side faces, thecombination of, a rotatable power means formed with a central openingand having camming means rotatable therewith, driven means positioned insaid power means for relative rotation thereby and pro-` vided with anopening for receiving said object, gripping means movably connected tosaid driven means and formed with jaw surfaces for fitting said sidefaces, said gripping means further having cam follower surfacescooperable with said camming means so that upon rotation of said powermeans with respect to said driven means said jaw surfaces are movedradially inwardly into fitting engagement with said side faces, andmeans for adjusting said jaw surfaces so that said jaw surfaces areoriented parallel with said side faces comprising means operative tocooperate with said camming means to partially rotate said driven meansprior to the operation of said cam follower surfaces so that maximumforces for gripping said object are delayed said jaw surfaces areoriented.

6. In a power tong for gripping an object formed with side faces, thecombination of, a rotatable power ring formed with a central opening andyhaving camming means rotatable therewith, a driven ring positioned insaid power ring for relative rotation thereby and provided with anopening for receiving said object, gripping means movably connected tosaid driven ring and formed with jaw surfaces for fitting said sidefaces, said gripping means further having cam follower surfacescooperable with said camming means so that upon rotation of said powerring with respect to said driven ring said jaw surfaces are movedradially into tting engagement with said side faces, and means toyorient said jaw surfaces with said side faces so that said jaw surfacesare parallel with said side faces comprising means operative to movesaid driven ring partially prior to engagement of said camming meanswith said cam follower surfaces so that maximum forces for gripping saidobject are delayed until said jaw surfaces are oriented.

7. In a power tong for gripping an object, rotatable power means havingcamming means rotatable therewith, driven means including grippingelements rotatable in said power means, said gripping elementscooperable with said camming means to grip said object upon rotation ofsaid power means in one direction and to release said object whenrotated in the opposite direction, said driven means being arranged tobe removable as a unit from said power Imeans for reverse operation, andmeans to index -said driven means with said power means for properremoval and insertion in said tong.

8. A power tong for coupling and decoupling sucker rods provided withfiat wrench-engagable surfaces, comprising, a frame having a throat forthe reception of said rod, a partial ring rotatably mounted on saidframe and having a side opening therein which may be brought intoalignment with said throat so that said rod may be disposed within saidring, means for rotating said ring about its central axis, said ringbeing provided with camming means movable therewith, gripping meanshaving flat gripping surfaces movable toward and away from a roddisposed within said ring upon rotation of said ring so as to cause saidgripping means to grip said rod, and means for orienting said grippingsurfaces by minimizing forces for gripping said flat surfaces andmaximizing forces for orienting so that said gripping surfaces arealigned with said fiat surfaces upon gripping of said rod.

9. The power tong claimed in claim 8 wherein said orienting meanscomprises means operative to cooperate with said camming means topartially rotate said gripping means upon initial engagement of saidgripping surfaces with said flat surfaces.

10. The power tong claimed in claim 8 further including fixed grippingmeans cooperating with said movable gripping means for holding one oftwo separable sucker rods while the gripping means rotate the othersucker rod.

11. The combination claimed in claim 9 further including means formeasuring the torque imposed upon said rod by said gripping means.

12. The combination claimed in claim 9 further including means wherebysaid gripping means may be removed as a unit from said tong withoutremoval of any other part of said tong;

13. The combination claimed in claim 9 further including means to indexsaid gripping means with said tong for proper removal of said grippingmeans and insertion thereof in said tong.

14. In a power tong for gripping an object, rotatable power meansprovided with a pair of camming means having their axes lying in a planepassing through the longitudinal axis of the object to be gripped androtatable with said power means, and driven means including grippingelements rotatable in said power means and mounted for relative pivotalmovement in diametrically opposite arcuate paths, said camming meansbeing cooperable with said grippingelements to grip said object uponrotation of said power means, said drivenmeans being ar` ranged to beremovable as a unit from said power means without removal ordisplacement of any other part of said tong. Y

15. In a power tong for gripping an object having flat faces, rotatablepower means provided with a pair of camming means having their axeslying in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the object tobe gripped and rotatable with said power means, and driven meansincluding gripping elements rotatable in said power means and mountedfor relative pivotal movement in diametrically opposite arcuate paths,said camming means being cooperable with said gripping elements to gripsaid flat faces upon rotation of said power means in one direction andto release said object when rotated in another direction, said drivenmeans being arranged to be removable as a unit from said power meanswithout removal or displacement of any other part of said tong.

16. In a power tong for gripping an object having fiat faces, rotatablepower means provided with a pair of camming means having their axeslying in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the object tobe gripped and rotatable with said power means, and driven meansincluding gripping elements having at jaw surfaces rotatable in saidpower means and mounted for relative pivotal movement in diametricallyopposite arcuate paths, said camming means being cooperable with saidgripping elements to grip said object upon rotation of said power meansin one direction and to release said object when rotated in the oppositedirection, and means 12 to orient said jaw faces parallel with said flatfaces prior to gripping, said driven means being arranged to beremovable as a unit from said power means without removal ordisplacement of any other part of said tong.

17. In a power tong for gripping an object having flat faces, arotatable power ring provided with a pair of camming means having theiraxes lying in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis of theobject to be gripped and rotatable with said power means, and drivenmeans including gripping elements with flat jaw surfaces rotatable insaid power means and mounted for relative pivotal movement indiametrically opposite arcuate paths, said camming means beingcooperable with said gripping elements to urge said jaw surfacesradially of said ring to grip said at faces upon rotation of said powermeans in one directionand to release said object when rotated in theopposite direction, said driven means being arranged to be removable asa unit from said power means without removal or displacement of anyother part of said tong.

18. In a power tong for gripping an object, a rotatable power ringprovided with a pair of camming means having their axes lying in a planepassing through the longitudinal axis of the object to be gripped androtatable with said power means, and driven means including grippingelements with flat jaw surfaces rotatable in said power means andmounted for relative pivotal movement in diametrically opposite arcuatepaths, said camming means being cooperable with said gripping elementsto urge said jaw surfaces radially of said ring to grip said at facesupon rotation of said power means in one direction and to release saidobject when rotated in the opposite direction, and means on saidgripping elements operative to orient said jaw surfaces parallel to saidflat faces prior to gripping, said driven means being arranged to beremovable as a unit from said power means without removal ordisplacement of any other part of said tong.

References Qited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,802,210 Kinser Apr. 21, 1931 1,861,728 Vance et al June 7, 19322,000,221 Dawson May 7, 1935 2,283,707 Sturtevant May 19, 1942 2,405,757Rowland Aug. 13, 1946 2,556,536 Harris June l2, 1951 2,639,894 Smith May26, 1953 2,650,070 Lundeen Aug. 25, 1953 2,780,950 Province Feb. 12,1957 2,879,680 Beeman et al May 31, 1959 2,884,826 Bruhn May 5, 19592,967,446 Martois Ian. 10, 1961 2,989,880 Hesser et al June 27, 1961

1. IN A POWER TONG FOR GRIPPING AN OBJECT FORMED WITH SIDE FACES, THECOMBINATION OF, A ROTATABLE POWER MEANS FORMED WITH A CENTRAL OPENINGAND HAVING CAMMING MEANS ROTATABLE THEREWITH, DRIVEN MEANS POSITIONED INSAID POWER MEANS FOR RELATIVE ROTATION THEREBY AND PROVIDED WITH ANOPENING FOR RECEIVING SAID OBJECT, GRIPPING MEANS MOVABLY CONNECTED TOSAID DRIVEN MEANS AND FORMED WITH JAW SURFACES FOR FITTING SAID SIDEFACES, SAID GRIPPING MEANS FURTHER HAVING MEANS COOPERABLE WITH SAIDCAMMING MEANS SO THAT UPON ROTATION OF SAID POWER MEANS WITH RESPECT TOSAID DRIVEN MEANS SAID JAW SURFACES ARE MOVED INTO FITTING ENGAGEMENTWITH SAID SIDE FACES, AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID JAW SURFACES BYMINIMIZING FORCES FOR GRIPPING SAID OBJECT AND MAXIMIZING FORCES FORORIENTING SAID JAW SURFACES WITH SAID SIDE FACES SO THAT SAID JAWSURFACES ARE ORIENTED WITH SAID SIDE FACES PRIOR TO MAXIMUM FORCEENGAGEMENT OF SAID JAW SURFACES WITH SAID SIDE FACES.